In a scan and pass checkout system the goods/items of a customer are first scanned in a scanning area and then moved to a bagging or accumulation area, often by means of a endless conveyor belt. However, it is both undesirable to mix the goods of a first customer with the goods of a second customer in the bagging area and to wait for a first customer to remove all of their goods from the bagging area before serving the next customer. As a result, a problem exists in how to prevent the mixing of goods whilst maintaining an acceptable throughput of customers.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,711 to Allan D. Foster discloses using a rigid divider with a hingedly attached rigid deflector. The divider partitions the bagging area into roughly to equal sections and the deflector is manually moved between two positions to deflect goods from an endless conveyor to one or other partition of the bagging area.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,411 to Werner Potrafke discloses a checkout stand with three fixed accumulation areas. Goods are moved to two of the areas using a conveyor belt and inclined slide table, and to the third area using just an inclined slide table
U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,912 to Leon King Manufacturing Co., Inc., discloses a checkout stand with primary and secondary accumulation zones, primary and secondary endless conveyors, and a diverter. Goods placed on one side of the primary conveyor are moved to the primary accumulation area whilst goods place on the other side of the primary conveyor are deflected onto the secondary conveyor by the diverter and moved to the secondary accumulation area.
Two other known solutions are a carousel bagging area, and a dividing “stick” which is placed between the goods of different customers.